Introduction: Comprehensive assessment of the time course of functional recovery following peripheral nerve repair is critical for surgical management of peripheral nerve injuries. This study describes the design and implementation of a novel implantable wireless nerve stimulator capable of repeatedly interfacing peripheral nerve tissue and providing serial evaluation of functional recovery postoperatively.
Methods: Thin-film wireless implants were fabricated and subcutaneously implanted into Lewis rats. Wireless implants were used to serially stimulate rat sciatic nerve and assess functional recovery over 3 months following various nerve injuries.
Results: Wireless stimulators demonstrated consistent performances over 3 months in vivo and successfully facilitated serial assessment of nerve and muscle function following nerve crush and nerve transection injuries.
Conclusions: This study highlights the ability of implantable wireless nerve stimulators to provide a unique view into the time course of functional recovery in multiple motor targets. Muscle Nerve 54: 1114-1119, 2016.
Keywords: electrical stimulation; functional recovery; nerve injury; nerve regeneration; peripheral nerve; wireless stimulation.
© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.